After a regular season in which he led the ACC in blocks, Georgia Tech center James Banks was named Monday to the ACC’s all-defensive team.
Typically playing at the bottom of the Yellow Jackets’ 1-3-1 zone, Banks finished first in the regular season in the ACC with 2.5 blocks per game, which was ninth nationally through Sunday’s games. Tech ranked 33rd nationally in defensive efficiency (KenPom) through Monday and fifth nationally in three-point defensive field-goal percentage.
Banks often has the responsibility of challenging 3-pointers from the corner. His presence as a shot-blocking threat in help defense also enables his teammates to play more aggressively[[
Banks is the sixth Tech player to earn ACC all-defensive team, following Alvin Jones (2000, 2001), Chris Bosh (2002), Iman Shumpert (2011), Daniel Miller (2013, 2014) and Ben Lammers (2017, 2018). The team was first created in 2000.
Besides leading the league in blocked shots, Banks is also in the top 10 in rebounding average (7.6 per game) while scoring 10.5 points per game. It’s a considerable achievement given that Banks, a junior who transferred from Texas this past May, was a sub for the Longhorns who averaged 12.4 minutes as a freshman and then 6.8 as a sophomore. Since receiving an immediate-eligibility waiver from the NCAA prior to Tech’s second game of the season, Banks has averaged 30.1 minutes and started 25 of 30 games.
Tech will play in the first round of the ACC tournament Tuesday, against Notre Dame at 2 p.m. in Charlotte, N.C.
